Sunday, January 22, 2023

☕ Lunar New Year tragedy

What to know about the mass shooting near LA...
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Morning Brew

TaxAct

Good morning. Let's have a great week .

Neal Freyman

MARKETS: YEAR-TO-DATE

Nasdaq

11,140.44

S&P

3,972.61

Dow

33,375.49

10-Year

3.480%

Bitcoin

$22,726.86

Tesla

$133.42

*Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 3:00am ET. Here's what these numbers mean.

  • Markets: How the tables have turned. After getting trounced in 2022, the Nasdaq is outpacing its index peers thanks to a rise in tech stocks to start 2023. We'll see if the momentum continues this week, when a bunch of tech companies and Tesla report earnings.
 

NATION

Celebration turns to tragedy in Southern California

Police work near the scene of a mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, on January 22, 2023 Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

Ten people were killed when a gunman opened fire in a ballroom dance studio in Monterey Park, CA, on Saturday night. The attack occurred as thousands celebrated Lunar New Year's Eve in this majority Asian American city just east of Los Angeles.

Yesterday, police found the suspected gunman, 72-year-old Huu Can Tran, dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a white van in Torrance, a city about 30 miles from Monterey Park.

That van fit the description of a vehicle used in another attempted shooting Saturday night in the city of Alhambra, when people at a dance hall disarmed a gun-carrying man before he fled the scene. Officials believe there is a connection between the shooting in Monterey Park and the thwarted incident in Alhambra, but have not yet discovered a motive.

It is the deadliest mass shooting in the US since 21 people were killed at a school in Uvalde, TX, last May, and the 33rd mass shooting so far this year.

"The first suburban Chinatown"

Monterey Park was the first city in the continental US to have a majority of residents with Asian ancestry: Of its current 60,000 residents, 65% are of Asian descent, and they've established Monterey Park as a hub of Chinese culture in the San Gabriel Valley. The city is dotted with Asian American restaurants and grocery stores, and Chinese films are frequently screened there, per the AP.

Monterey Park, decked out with red lanterns, had been looking forward to hosting its Lunar New Year fair this weekend after Covid canceled it in the last two years. Historically drawing crowds of more than 100,000 people, its Lunar New Year celebration is one of the largest free street fairs in Southern California. The second day of festivities, which was set for Sunday, was canceled following the attack (though authorities said there was no connection between the two).

Big picture: The Asian American community was approaching this Lunar New Year's celebration with both an eagerness to gather IRL again, but also trepidation over the surge in anti-Asian hate crimes during the pandemic. Advocacy group Stop AAPI Hate said in a statement that this attack, "on one of the most important days of the year for many Asian Americans…is sending shockwaves through our community."

        

WORLD

Tour de headlines

People attend the 50th annual March for Life rally on the National Mall Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Roe v. Wade at 50. Sunday marked the 50th anniversary of the now-scrapped SCOTUS decision that granted the federal right to an abortion. Abortion rights supporters marched in cities across the country, drawing attention to the myriad legislative battles over abortion access that are now being fought at the state and local levels. Days before, anti-abortion activists staged the first March for Life in Washington, DC, since Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court.

DOJ finds more classified docs at Biden's home. Investigators found six more items with classified markings at President Biden's Delaware residence following a 13-hour search on Friday. On the Sunday talk shows, both Democrats and Republicans said they were concerned about these and other findings of classified docs that have dripped out in the past few weeks. Biden said he has "no regrets" about his handling of the situation, and his team and other Dems have tried to emphasize how Biden has cooperated with authorities in their investigation.

A busy weekend of playoff football. The Chiefs handled the Jaguars, my Eagles demolished the Giants, Cincinnati trounced Buffalo (with Damar Hamlin attending in-person), and the 49ers beat the Cowboys. Next Sunday's conference championship games will determine who plays in the Super Bowl: Philly will face San Francisco, and the Chiefs will meet the Bengals in a rematch of last year's AFC Championship Game.

TOGETHER WITH TAXACT

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ENTERTAINMENT

'Avatar 2' tops $2b at the box office

Still from Avatar sequel 20th Century Studios

It's James Cameron's world; we're just swimming in it.

The director's film, Avatar: The Way of Water, topped $2 billion at the box office this weekend, becoming just the sixth movie in history to reach the milestone. Cameron is responsible for three of those six—Avatar, Titanic, and Avatar 2 (the others are Avengers: Endgame, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Avengers: Infinity War).

It will be just a matter of days until Avatar 2 climbs from No. 6 on the list to No. 4, leaping over Infinity War ($2.04 billion) and The Force Awakens ($2.07 billion) as it heads into its seventh week in theaters.

When that happens, the movie could earn another accolade: being profitable. Before the release of the uber-costly Avatar 2, Cameron said it was the "worst business case in movie history" and would need to become the third- or fourth-highest grossing film of all time to break even.

Zoom out: James Cameron is the movie theater equivalent of Shohei Ohtani—a superstar playing on a sorry team. Cinemas are not in a good place right now: Last week, Regal (whose parent company went bankrupt) said it was closing 39 locations in the US, and AMC has lost all of its meme-stock juice.

Good news for them, though, is that ol' reliable Cameron plans to release three more Avatar installments in the next five years.

        

CALENDAR

The week ahead

GIF of Mr Krabs sighing while doing acounting work SpongeBob SquarePants/Paramount Global via Giphy

Tax filing szn: The IRS will start accepting tax returns today through April 18. And in case you weren't excited already—many Americans will probably see a lower refund this year, because several Covid-era tax breaks expired.

Oscar noms announced: If you need any movie recs, the nominations for the Academy Awards will be revealed tomorrow. All Quiet on the Western Front, The Banshees of Inisherin, Elvis, and The Fabelmans are expected to rack up the most nominations.

Economic happenings: Microsoft, Tesla, IBM, and Southwest Airlines highlight this week's earnings reports. Full-year GDP data for 2022 will drop on Thursday. And an inflation report (the one most closely watched by the Fed) arrives Friday.

Everything else…

  • Elon Musk will return to the stand today in a trial over his infamous Tesla tweet in 2018.
  • On Tuesday, a Senate subcommittee will hold a hearing on Ticketmaster's market dominance in light of the T-Swift tour debacle.
  • International Holocaust Remembrance Day is Friday.

TOGETHER WITH CONNECTRN

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GRAB BAG

Key performance indicators

Ken Griffin Michael Kovac/Getty Images

Stat: While the world convulsed and markets tanked in 2022, Ken Griffin's Citadel was busy making the most money of any hedge fund…ever. According to estimates from LCH Investments, Citadel hauled in $16 billion for its clients last year, topping the $15 billion made by John Paulson in 2007 through his bet against subprime mortgages. By making boatloads for its clients, Citadel did pretty well for itself, too, charging $12 billion in fees and expenses.

Quote: "We've got a way to go to ensure women in leadership receive the same respect as their male counterparts."

Incoming New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins described the misogyny his immediate predecessor, Jacinda Ardern, faced while in office and said men have a "responsibility" to call out abuse of women when they see it happening. Ardern announced her resignation last week, saying she "no longer [had] enough in the tank" to continue as leader of the Kiwis. Hipkins, a fellow member of the Labour Party, will be sworn in on Wednesday.

Read: How Charlie Javice got JPMorgan to pay $175 million for…what exactly? (New York Times)

NEWS

What else is brewing

  • Beyoncé gave her first full concert performance in four years for the unofficial opening of Atlantis the Royal hotel in Dubai.
  • Jeff Zients will replace Ron Klain as White House chief of staff. Klain will step down after the State of the Union address on Feb. 7.
  • Activist investing firm Elliott Management has reportedly taken a multibillion-dollar stake in Salesforce. Expect it to push for changes at the software company.
  • A documentary about the sexual misconduct allegations surrounding Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh debuted at Sundance Friday night. The theater was sold out and secured by armed guards.

FROM THE CREW

A good dashboard is hard to find

a dashboard on a car Getty Images

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BREW'S BETS

Dive back into the week.

News you can use: The best songs to help you fall asleep.

Beating burnout: Helping employees manage their workloads is mission-critical for HR pros. This guide has tactics to keep your team feeling fresh.

Ready for kickoff: Your viewing party for the big game won't be complete without some big flavor. Get Primal Kitchen Buffalo Sauce for high-quality, delicious ingredients + a nice medium heat—plus 25% off—here.*

*This is sponsored advertising content.

GAMES

The puzzle section

Turntable: Mary went a little easier on you puzzlers after going full goblin mode last week. Play today's Turntable here.

What's their headcount?

With company workforces in the news, see if you can rank the following corporations by total headcount—greatest to least.

  1. General Motors
  2. Chipotle
  3. Pfizer
  4. Domino's
  5. Accenture
  6. PepsiCo

AROUND THE BREW

Stick to your resolutions this year

Stick to your resolutions this year

Have some of your resolutions already fallen by the wayside? Don't let your plan to tackle your finances be one of them. Money with Katie's newest Wealth Planner helps you track your income, spending, and more. Shop now.

Calling all retailers whose sales are taking a dip after the holiday rush: Retail Brew has strategies to help you fight this sales slump. Check it out.

Money with Katie can help you achieve your financial goals. Her free newsletter covers everything you need to know about money—from budgeting to retirement planning.

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ANSWER

  1. Accenture (738,000)
  2. PepsiCo (309,000)
  3. General Motors (157,000)
  4. Chipotle (97,660)
  5. Pfizer (~79,000)
  6. Domino's (13,500)

*Using most recent data available

         

Written by Neal Freyman

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